Smart growth characteristics and the spatial pattern of multifamily housing in US metropolitan areas

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between smart growth policies and other social and physical characteristics and the supply of multifamily housing units in 202 core-based metropolitan statistical areas (CBSAs) in the USA. Data for this study were gathered from the GeoLytics Neighborhood Change Database for the 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2010 US Census. The smart growth characteristics of each CBSA are determined by a smart growth index and a catalogue of urban containment rankings, while other social and physical characteristics are obtained from the US Census. This allows us to examine potential differences in development patterns between CBSAs with varying levels of sprawl and growth containment policies. Two regression models are used to determine statistically significant relationships between multifamily development patterns and growth management policies, as well as other social and physical characteristics. The results indicate that high levels of sprawl are associated with relatively fewer multifamily units, especially in suburban areas. In addition, several population demographics that may potentially benefit from multifamily units, such as senior citizens, the population in poverty and smaller households, are less likely to live in areas with higher rates of multifamily units. These findings indicate that planners and policymakers should consider the needs of more diverse communities when planning for housing, especially in suburban areas, where housing diversity is constricted.

Beyond growth management: A review of the wider functions and effects of urban growth management policies

“…At the inter-regional scale, economic effects of UGMPs were found to differ. For example, multiple studies, in multiple states showed that different housing types were affected differently by UGBs (Mathur, 2019;McMillan & Lee, 2017) as well as where they were located regionally (Grout et al, 2011). Further research found that UGB effected house prices depending on residents preferred amenities; benefiting those who preferred urban amenities (Bigelow & Plantinga, 2017).…”

Key Themes of Build-to-Rent: Developing a Conceptual Framework for Achieving Successful Developments through a Systematic Literature Review

“…In the more regional ambit of housing, prior literature has shown that policies not only incentivise rental supply but can also regulate the location of their development. Urban planning zones play a crucial role in directing developers' attention towards not only maximising investment returns, but also addressing the community's needs by ensuring the provision of housing in suitable locations [3,38,45].…”

Analysing the travel behaviour of older adults: what are the determinants of sustainable mobility?

“…The share of private vehicle users among adults aged 25-64 years is 90 per cent (Shen et al, 2017) and it varies between 85 and 93 per cent across different cohorts of adults (Dutzik and Inglis, 2014). This is expected considering the auto-oriented urban development in most of the US cities that makes the private automobile a convenient transportation mode for all (McMillan and Lee, 2017). Despite its convenience, reliance on privately owned vehicles can cause community-level challenges such as high levels of traffic congestion, increasing rates of crashes, fatalities and injuries, growth of greenhouse gas emissions, oil dependence, etc.…”